When someone hears the words "driverless cars", they get excited at the thought of something so futuristic at one time that it seems like something out of a science fiction novel. However, now that dream is becoming a reality. Large companies such as Google or BMW are advancing in this highly experimental field, and Google has been since as early as 2009. But is letting the machine take over most of the time really the best option? Could it lead to even more problems than it hopes to fix? These questions have yet to be answered and need to be.

In 2013, BMW began developing a project they dubbed the "Traffic Jam Assistant", allowing a car to handle all possible functions up to the speed of 25 mph. But even though the car drove itself, the driver still had to remain alert and keep both hands on the wheel where sensors were located. And in such situations as work zones or accidents, the driver had to take over. Moments like these should always be handled by the driver, because the only thing a vehicle needs is one single driver. If a pedestrian ever makes the mistake of crossing too late on a crosswalk in the middle of the street, the car is not going to be ablle to know if it is coming or not or whether the car can steer clear of causing an accident because of human error.

There is also the consideration of laws. In our current era, whoever hits someone initially in a traffic collision, is the one to blame, and the one who helps pay off the other driver's bill. Human error is a natural thing, and we all make mistakes, but if there is ever an accident in which an autonomous car is made and is involved in an accident, who is responsible in the end? Is it the driver, or is it the car which is supposed to be incapable of making mistakes? Allowing a car to be responsible for one person's life is not the best decision, and should be thought out more accordingly, than just seeing it as a fun toy because our laziness is growing so much, that we can't even drive for ourselves.

Then there is the cost, both on our wealth and our experience. If we allow cars to drive us around and take us anywhere we like, what will happen when it's our turn to drive. We will be less alert, paying attention to our surroundings instead of focusing on the road. Some may argue that cars come with warning signals that the driver must take control soon, but will they have enough time to completely survey the area and assess the situation? Or will the car be able to warn them in time? The answer is most likely to be answered, but is still a dangerous situation for a new driver. In 20 years these cars may be a new one of society's norms, and everyone might own a car that drives on its own. But before we can reach that day, we have to decide if we're willing to pay large amounts of dollars for a car that takes away all feeling of something belonging to us and seeming to be in our control. The "Cars of the Future" will cost extraneous amounts of dollars, just for the ability for us to drive only some of the time, and not all of it.

Some people may argue that there are beneficial sides to an autonomous car, and of course there are. These cars would cut down our costs on gas, they could even be safer than some humans driving cars, and they could all be traced around on a track designed just for the cars. But it all comes back down to cost. The thought of replacing all roads with "Smart Roads" is not only seemingly impossible, but timewise it would take a lifetime. If every single road was taken apart and rebuilt all over America, the world even, it would take at least 10 years, and the cost would be enormous. And these cars are safe, but if that situation ever hits, no one is going to want their death or disability caused by a car driving on its own because of human error, yet again.

The concept is definitely real, and they have continued to being developed. The only thing to see now is if they can pay the price, develop more solutions than problems, and see if laws can be passed in their favor. It will take years, or maybe even a decade before we see who will be driving behind the wheel in the end, the human, or the car itself.